AMARA SHINE POV:

I lay awake on the top of my bunk bed. Okay, fine, it's not really my bunk bed. Cora is snoring in the lower bunk, fast asleep. I wondered who Cora, or anyone, could sleep so easily at a time like this.

I was sitting alone in my favourite camp place, the little stream coming down from Lake Poseidon with big rocks to sit on. War was a funny concept to me. I know about some wars like the Trojan War (which some people claim was real or fake, I guess we'll never know) and the two World Wars. That's basically what comes to mind. But...I never thought I would soon be stuck in war, the enemy reading as a sixteen-year-old goat dude. It was almost laughable. Except, it wasn't.

"Hey, stranger," a familiar voice said. I turned around to see Elizabeth. I rubbed my eyes to double-check as the immortal girl sat down. "What's up?"

"What's up?" I exclaimed, laughing dryly. "It's not like I almost died from falling from the sky! Just plain fun, huh?"

"And to only think that's not the first time it happened," Elizabeth chuckled. We broke down in crazed giggles and snorts. "I'm so sorry—that was stupid—"

"Yeah, it was!"

"I will...debate that, Shine," she snorted, ruffling the strands of her chestnut hair in a braided ponytail. The style always confused my already dense brain but I didn't question it.

"Isn't this all so weird? Lucas, a literal sixteen-year-old, is going to be raging war?" I sighed heavily. The thought of it made me queasily. It was like midnight, but Chiron didn't mind. He was too busy sorting this whole problem out. "It doesn't sit right with me, Elizabeth!"

"Alas, Lucas has a mind of his own," she said, shaking her head, "but he should be feared. He has poison that breaks through the laws of divine shrines! That is certainly something to be scared of."

"What kind of poison is it anyways?" I asked, thinking Elizabeth would know the answer. She's the granddaughter of Athena, she's super smart.

"I do not know," Elizabeth confessed, "at first, I thought it could have been Hydra poison since it's very strong and will slowly kill your target. But that would be too dangerous for even Lucas to use. I have never heard of poison that broke godly connections, it's quite extreme."

"Great." I let out groans of angst and agony. "Now, we'll all die a rotten and mouldy death."

"Don't be so glum, Amara," Elizabeth smiled sadly, "Camp Unspeakable always finds a way to prevail. Chiron will think of something, I bet, to help or even prevent the war."

"You're right," I agreed. I honestly sorta' hated it when people were right and I was wrong. "And, who knows—maybe dumb Bunty Larsen was bluffing her stupid fluff."

"Not very kind, but we'll take it."

I curled the stands of my messy hair, staring at the moon. Hey, Aunt Artemis, what's up? I snickered at myself. Elizabeth cleared her throat.

"Amara, I came to you to talk."

"I know," I nodded meekly, "and we're talking. Duh. It's a no-brainer, Liz."

"No, not like that. I wanted to say I'm sorry for everything. It was unjust and unwise of me, and everyone, to play and trick your feelings like that. We bet stuff to befriend you, I am...I am sorry." she spoke softly. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Elizabeth, I really don't mind—"

"Let me finish! I know playing with your feelings was not smart and I understand if you accept my apology but don't forgive me. That I understand greatly."

"You just had to bring it up, huh?" I scoffed, feeling empty. My feelings were hurt. I scolded myself, what am I? A child?! "I mean...I kind of understood it. You guys are older than me and I'm some eleven-year-old weirdo. And you're thousands and thousands of years older than the rest of us. We don't need to be friends...we could...but it's your choice, obviously."

I tried my best not to cry. God, I hate this night and just want it to end.

"Amara...call me odd, but I felt like I knew you for a million years when I met you." Elizabeth sighed. She rubbed her eyes and wiped away a tiny tear. "You...you feel familiar? Sorry, that's too strange. I can't describe it well, but I can sense it well. That's why I wanted to be friends with you—minus the bet—to understand why I feel like this."

"I don't think my brain is processing this well."

"This me, that's what I felt when I tried explaining this in my head," Elizabeth chuckled sourly. A granddaughter of Athena, confused? The world's ending! I thought. "I'm sorry, I had it strange, didn't I?"

"Do you want my pity or truth?" I snorted. we both laughed heartily.

"Look," I said finally, shrugging, "I honestly...don't even know what to think, Lizzy. I'll think about it, I guess—"

"What's that on your left hand?" Elizabeth blurted suddenly. I was taken aback by the hardened stare plastered on her expression. I rose my hand to the moonlight so she could see better. There was a faint scar. It was caused by my drunk mother, she tried to throw a vase at me, I dodged but still got cut. It hurt so bad that night...yet...the next morning, it was fully healed. Perks of a child of Apollo, I suppose. You could barely see it now, but in the gleaming moon's shine, it shone brightly.

"Just a fading scar. Nothing much."

"Yes," Elizabeth looked at me sadly before standing up. She looked away, "it's nothing much. C'mon, Chiron will be the death of us if he finds we're here past curfew."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

——————✧◦✧——————

Suddenly, I heard a faint sob. I sat up, rubbing my eye in the dim light. I groaned and forced my eyes to see the clock that was held on the wall of Cabin #11. 3:28 AM? I thought. Then I heard another cry and a reassuring voice. I climbed down the bunk bed's ladder, yawning. The regular bunk beds lined up on each side of the cabin always made me feel like I wasn't alone.

"It's not that bad, Hannah," a familiar voice assured another. Once my feet reached the ground, I snapped my fingers. My fingertips started to glow. Another perk of being a child of Apollo.

"What's going on?" I asked the two blurry figures in the dark. One was Cora Anderson-Chang, an Asian daughter of Poseidon, with a bottle of water grasped in her hand. Kind of ironic. She was wearing blue PJs and her raven black hair in a loose bun with a pen struck in the center. How the heck do people do that? Making it all loose, smooth, and pretty is hard!

And Hannah Hayes, daughter of Hermes, oh my god, turned around. I gasped at the sight of her, which probably didn't help at all. Her messy brown hair used to be to her breast but now it was to her collarbone. Not so long in hindsight, but her shaggy layers made it look...different.

"Oh. My. God. Oh my gods—"

"Don't swear in the gods' name for heaven's sake," Cora dismissed me by waving her hand in the air aimlessly. "Say Graces instead. Bad enough that the gods don't pay child support and send killing machines after you, you don't need them breathing down your neck."

"What the Hades did I do?!" Hannah hissed, her face in her hands. There wasn't really a mirror in the cabin, but she could sense she did a 'Whoopies, can't erase that now!' kind of mistake. I mean, while the new hairstyle looked wild, it also looked flattering on her.

"Not so bad, Hannah," I chimed in. I stepped closer to her. Loose strands and parts of her hair were on the cold floor. "It's...interesting?"

"See, Hannah?" Cora gave a smile so nervous and fake. "It's...interesting!"

"I literally chopped off a quarter of my hair with a dagger. Not so bad, hm?" Hannah said through her fingers. Her teeth clattered and a frown was visible. I glanced at a shiny dagger on her nightstand. "Graces—I am so screwed."

Cora handed her the water bottle and Hannah gulped all of the liquid inside down. I gave Cora a questioning 'What the heck happened?' look and she returned a shrug. Wow.

"Go brush it, Hannah," Cora suggested, eager to get Hannah calm, "it'll help, don't worry."

Hannah nodded and stumped over to the girls' changing room. The minute the daughter of Hermes closed the door, I jumped to Cora's ear.

"What the heck?" I hissed, glancing back and forth. My mind was switching on and off. "D-Did she end up wanting to cut her own hair?"

"I dunno! I woke up once I heard Hannah crying. I found her already in the process of cutting off her hair by the time I reached her. Pretty sad."

"Wait—she was already crying beforehand?"

Okay, it's one thing to cut your hair and cry about how much you hate it (if you've been there...I will send Hannah Hayes to your doorstep). But why was she crying about it before she started? A sickening feeling rose from my stomach. Was it about Drew Carter? He was a son of Zeus who died when Chiron sent him, Hannah, Mark Callow, and I to collect intel on Lucas. To be honest, it felt like a big waste of time. And Drew died. I mean, I would always see Hannah and Drew chatting and laughing, but that's it.

Or was it?

I will confess, Hannah has been acting off. I would forget she's there half the time since she became so quiet. She's been skipping archery lessons at the archery range lately, which she loves. That was really not normal of her. And more scars have been showing up on her skin whenever I see Hannah. I was afraid she was hurting herself and not doing anything to stop. She had a deep wound on her shoulder last night, and we got it cleaned (not infections), but she wouldn't get it spiritually healed. I said it would be quick but she replied with "No—I'm fine, Amara" which made me say "But it'll hurt. At least let me give you something to numb the pain."

"I guess I'll just swallow the pain then" was all Hannah said. I was panicked to say the least. It haunted me.

"Amara?" Cora's voice brought me back from outer space.

"Hm?"

"You zoned out, again."

"Sorry, Coral."

"Go back to sleep, Amara. It's late and your glow-sticks-of-hands might wake everyone else up." she giggled and I made the light fade out from my fingertips. "You know, you've really found your way through Camp Unspeakable."

I was puzzled to hear that. "For real right now?"

"Yes, Amara!" Cora then dropped her voice as Thomas, son of Hephaestus, snored. "I mean it, and you also know it. Two or one month ago, you would be totally lost in camp. No offence, by the way."

"Some taken, but continue."

"But now, your abilities as a daughter of Apollo are blooming. You can teleport at the speed of light, heal wounds crazy fast, your vision gets more and more vivid, and Graces—you can control it all at such a young age."

"Oh. T-Thank you, Cora," I smiled weakly, obviously flattered. Here I am, once again, being complemented by someone older than me. It hits just right, doesn't it?

But I also saw hints of envy on Cora's face. I began walking back to my bunk and climbed up my ladder. Once I reached the top, I belly-flopped on the hay-filled mattress. I fell asleep almost in an instant.